Wedding Venue Jitters: 5 Red Flags To Watch Out For

The wedding venue you decide to host your big day is hugely important. If chosen well, it can reflect you and your partner’s tastes, lifestyles and personalities. Do you want an outdoor wedding? A waterfront wedding? Perhaps a traditional church wedding? Perhaps you want a huge wedding party, or just close family? All of these wedding details echo who you and your loved one really are, and should be decided with careful consideration. However, choosing the right wedding venue will mean a lot of the stress is taken out of the equation. To help you gain some clarity, we’ve put together four of the most common red flags to watch out for when choosing your wedding venue.

Not a designated wedding venue

You might have come across a beautiful yet unusual space that you would like to transform for your wedding. Although this might be a fun and creative idea in theory, be careful of enlisting a venue that doesn’t specialise in weddings. This can result in the venue not being sensitive or considerate of your specific wedding needs. Places that specialise in weddings will endeavour to cater to your needs. They will have a policy on suppliers, decorations, food and drink, and will be able to help you with the planning process.

Added costs

With that said, there can be many hidden costs associated with hiring a wedding venue. If you want to alter the standard package at all, for example bringing your own alcohol or extending your booking time, this may result in a hefty fee. Make sure you communicate openly and effectively with your wedding venue, and let them know upfront of your desires. That way, you won’t come across any nasty surprises down the track.

No flexibility

By nature, weddings are a complex event to organise. There are many elements and variables that can change or require compromise. Hiring a wedding venue that understands this can mean the difference between enjoying your day or despising it. When it comes to menus and offerings, make sure your venue understands that customisation is key. As well as this, it should be standard practice for a venue to help with the setup and decorations, as well as enable you to choose your own suppliers. If the liquor licence has a cut off time, check what this is, and if an extension is available to be applied for. You can never be too prepared!

Unreliable staff

The wedding venue you choose will undoubtedly have some staff on hand to help out with your day in various ways, shapes and forms. Ask exactly what staff they have available to aid you, and whether they will be present during the wedding. Make sure the staff members know their exact role, and communicate exactly what you expect of their team. Although the personnel working at your venue may work at a large number of weddings each year, it’s important they view each as your special day.

The issues when planning a wedding will be different for every couple. You have to determine what your budget is, what your style is, and how much extra work you are willing to do yourselves. Don’t try and do it all – make sure you find a venue that will help alleviate some of the unnecessary stress. If they’re not there to help, they’re not the right venue!